Photo Album
by Zayda Dei
Summary: moments to remember [for the kataang100 livejournal challege]


**Photo Album**

_moments to remember_

* * *

A/N: this is written for the kataang100 livejournal community. everything posted here will be posted there … eventually. there's some really good stuff on that site, so i encourage you to check it out.

the format of this: well, there will be 5 drabbles (ish) a chapter, so i guess that means there will be a grand total of 20 chapters. these 5 are mainly from katara's point of view.

happy fanfic-reading!

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**001 – Color – **_**Undefined**_

Most benders were defined by a certain color. Katara, being a waterbender, was always wearing blue robes that complimented the hue of her irises nicely. Toph, always proud to be an earthbender, sported green clothing that would have matched her eyes in color had they not been somewhat clouded over. Zuko, ever the firebender, was always clad in deep red, his amber-orange eyes always fiery.

As Katara thought about it, she supposed it was fitting. After all, water was blue, earth was mostly green, and fire was a combination of red and orange.

But when she pictured Aang, dressed in shades of yellow, orange, and brown, and with stormy gray eyes to top it all off, she could think of no single one that defined him. He was _un_defined, free of any boundaries whatsoever.

Strange, Katara thought, how Aang seemed to be the embodiment of their love.

----

**002 – Wind – **_**Completely Still**_

Whenever Katara takes a moment to think of the wind, she thinks of how there wasn't any after he fell.

Aang and Ozai had struck each other down, and Katara had watched, horrified, tears streaming down her face, as Aang plummeted back to earth, no gust of air to soften his landing. He'd hit the ground hard, unconscious, hanging on to life by a thread that had long since snapped for the unfortunate villain beside him.

That had sparked Katara's own emotional downward spiral. For the next few days, the girl had taken in only enough food to sustain her, had used up all drinking water for the purpose of aiding her best friend in the healing process, and had waved her concerned brother away every time he insisted that she get some sleep.

"No, Sokka," she would say, stifling a yawn, "I have to be here when he wakes up," knowing perfectly well that he might not. After all, they'd been through this before.

It was a grueling, tiresome week-or-so, and the air had been nearly still, barely circulating, much like the blood within the young, traumatized Avatar's veins.

But like all things, that week had eventually come to an end.

Nowadays, when the wind tousles Katara's hair, wraps itself around her, and gently caresses her skin, she's thankful that Aang is around to do the same.

----

**003 – Change – **_**Definitely Not**_

"Well?" he asked, dusting himself off. "How's this for a disguise?"

Katara, who had been busy tugging at the laundry lines in search of garments for herself, looked up upon hearing Aang's voice. He was standing a few feet away in front of Toph and Sokka, arms outstretched in a pose, modeling his new Fire Nation outfit (of course, Toph was scowling, arms folded across her chest, and looking a little too far to the left).

Katara's eyes wandered from his head to his feet and back again as she took it all in. The dark brown shirt and trousers, the crimson sleeves, the red and black vest – it was all very different. Paired with Aang's new wavy brown tresses and a somewhat-unnatural smile, the boy looked slightly out-of-place.

It was a definite change of attire. Katara admitted to herself that she liked the way the clothes fit him, the way they looked on him. They were more interesting than his normal get-up. He looked different, _good_, even.

_He'll blend right in_, she thought.

But then she noticed that there was still that mischievous sparkle in his eyes, that certain something that made him look completely unlike a Fire Nation commoner, despite his outwardly appearance, something that was exclusively _Aang_. It was something subtle, something only a close friend could discern.

It was then that Katara realized the mark of the Air Nomad was not an arrow, but something else entirely … something internal.

_He's not Fire Nation, _mused the waterbender with a smile. _Definitely not Fire Nation._

No, there was no hiding the fact that he was the Avatar … not from Katara, at least.

----

**004 – Chance – **_**The Meaning of Life**_

Katara remembered telling Aang that he shouldn't gamble, and she had meant it. It was deceitful. It was morally and ethically wrong.

It would be some time before she realized what a hypocrite that very statement made her.

After meeting Aang, her very life became a game of Chance; it was impossible to know what number the die was going to land on once cast.

_Hmm._ Katara shook her head at the thought. _No, not Chance …_

After meeting Aang, her very life became a game of Gaoling Hold 'Em; it was impossible to know what hand Fate would deal you, and no matter how unfortunate the cards, you had to make do with what you were given.

Katara shook her head again. _Still not quite right …_

After meeting Aang, her very life became a game of Azulon Roulette; the world was always spinning, spinning, and you had little to no control over which slot your piece landed in, which path you would be forced to take, and therefore it was impossible to place a bet with confidence.

She shook her head once more. _No, no, no,_ she thought, _that isn't it at all_.

But then, after meeting Aang, what did her life become?

Katara turned her head to glance at Aang. In the flickering firelight she could see him, curled up in his sleeping bag, covered up to his shoulders, a small smile gracing his features as he slept. Katara grinned. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. When she'd first met him, his sleeping had been fitful.

That was only one of the many things that had changed over time.

So much was different now. There was so much to worry about and yet so little; so much to accomplish in such a short amount of time, and yet there was an eternity of opportunities before them.

None of this would have been possible without Aang.

That's when it dawned on Katara what her life had become after meeting Aang. Her life was not dependant upon dice or a spinning wheel, nor was it a game of cards. It was not _chance_, but rather _choice._ After meeting Aang, her very life had become just that, _life._

Finally, she knew what it meant to be living.

----

**005 – Someday – **_**Said and Done**_

They were the epitome of perfection.

_Holding hands, fingers laced, smiles on their faces, gazes locked, a blush here, a giggle there …_

A young couple, walking down the cobblestone streets of Ba Sing Se without a care in the world. They were completely absorbed in each other, completely in love. A world of two.

_A toothy grin, a playful push, his hand seeks out hers again and swings it between them as they walk with matching strides …_

Katara could see Aang out of the corner of her eye, watching the couple with just as much intensity as she. She knew that he saw everything she did, every movement, every facial expression, but how did it all make him feel?

_She skips, he laughs, and whispers are exchanged …_

Looking at them, did he feel the same pang of sadness, of jealousy? Did he, too, want what he could not have?

_A kiss on the nose, the cheek, the lips …_

The epitome of perfection, perfection being everything that they had ever worked toward. Peace, love, perfection.

_Matching rings …_

But the war was not over yet. There was still so much to be done ... so much to say …

Perfection … they were not quite there yet.

_Completely in love._

_Maybe_, she thought as she glanced at him sidelong. _Maybe someday._

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i hope it goes without saying that i have no piece of the avatar financial pie.

_-- ZD_


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